Aficionados of the open-air Santa Fe Opera are looking sidelong at the casino arising in Northern New Mexico, in a report by the New Mexican.
The New Mexican interviewed some fans of the opera who were attending a performance of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly about the 72,000 square foot casino that the Tesuque Pueblo is building next to the opera, and that many people feel will mar the look of some of the most beautiful scenery in the Southwest.
Construction began earlier this year on land that once was the site of a small flea market. The casino is expected to open in a few months.
Although one fan used an expletive when talking about the casino, another said, “We have no idea, and we will not make a judgment on that until it’s done. I don’t see anything that’s really going to bother the opera, but who knows?”
The Pueblo of Tesuque Development Corp. says it meets frequently with opera management and board members “to coordinate construction activities with the goal of minimizing the impact on the Opera’s operations.”
Insisting that the Pueblo’s goal is to preserve the area’s natural beauty, John Kubiak, board chairman, said “We are working closely with our neighbor, The Santa Fe Opera, to address their concerns and explore opportunities benefiting both operations.”
The tribe and opera are working together. Dancers from the tribe recently performed onstage last week before and during the debut of Doctor Atomic, an opera about the development of the Atomic Bomb.
The opera issued this statement: “The Pueblos have given us and our audience the gift of sacred Corn Dances, both pre-performance and within the context of the opera. The diplomatic, social, and spiritual meanings of this event are powerful. It has launched a new era in the relationships with our neighbors.”
Some opera goers hope that the opera and the tribe will consider planting “fast growing trees” to screen out the view.
